Joy, Pain and Regret
by kazenostigmafan4ever
Summary: Her smile made his heart feel warm... that's why he felt joy. Her love made his cruel heart softer... that's why it hurt so much. Was it really impossible to begin again? Trust me, it's worth reading.You don't wanna miss this! *Updated : Ch 9*
1. Chapter 1

**_Hey guys! I know...those of you who read my other story 'The Maze' are probably disappointed in me for not updating that story. I know guys, I'm being late and clumsy. But please forgive me. I'm having a major case of writer's block and life isn't exactly going easy on me. I'm having problems and my brain is just blocked. I can't think of good ideas for that story and I don't want to write trash just to satisfy you guys. So kindly give me a few more days to pull myself together. I promise to continue the story and even finish it! But I won't give up writing. _**

**_This story is definitely much more interesting to read. I want to make it kinda romantic….but I'm not sure whether I'll succeed. This story is filled with angst, sadness, guilt and regret…..but since I just love happy endings, rest assured people, this story will definitely have a happy ending!...Hope you like it!_**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Kaze No Stigma. Zing and Liang's names are my original creation. They were in the anime but they didn't have specified names, so I gave them one of my own._**

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He woke up with a start, his brow covered with sweat and his heart beating uncontrollably. Again. He'd had a dream about _her_ again. He brought his hands upwards, resting them on either side of is head.

Why? Why did it always have to be _her _in his dreams? He gave an exhausted sigh slowly bringing his hands downwards and resting them on his lap. Reaching out on the side table, he removed his cell phone and started flipping through the pictures until he found the one he was looking for. A gentle smile formed on his lips as he saw it, yet there was still this feeling of sadness, guilt….and regret.

Yes, regret. He looked at the digital photo again, looking at the flaming haired beauty in it, her smiling face and her windblown hair. Ren had taken the photo during a picnic, insisting that it would make a good wallpaper on his phone.

It did…..until it was too painful to look at it anymore. He looked at the photo one last time. It displayed him with his arm draped over her shoulders, a genuine smile on both their faces while a slight blush coated her cheeks. Those mesmerizing crimson eyes still made his heart skip a beat even though it was still a photo…

He flipped the phone close gently, closing his eyes as a memory came back to him….the memory that he had dreamt about.

_She stood there, a gentle breeze moving her hair as she looked into the sunset, a small smile on her rosy lips. The mission they had just completed had been a hard one and both the partners were tired after their arduous fight, both now looking at the sky to soothe their nerves._

_She turned towards him, leaning on the small wall of the park, her eyes closed._

_"It's beautiful isn't it, Kaz?" She used her nickname for him, slowly opening her crimson eyes gazing at him._

_"Yeah" He replied still focusing on the sunset. She turned again, watching the sunset as they stood in a comfortable silence while watching the birds flying back into their nests. _

_"Birds have such a nice life don't they? Being able to fly freely around the world without any worries..."She stood gazing at the birds, a longing look on her face._

_"Yeah, they do have the privilege to move around freely, but they never have a place that they can truly call home…."He replied "Just like me…"_

_She looked at him sharply. He bit his tongue and immediately tried to correct his mistake "I mean, that was before I came back…." Her unwavering gaze unnerved him as she still looked at him with stern crimson eyes. "But I was like those birds before…..being able to move freely without being answerable to anyone…..but I guess that was because everyone that was close to me always left me at some point in time…..so I had no one to answer to….."He trailed off, his eyes holding pain as he looked at her "But I guess things can change…."_

_"Of course you're not alone anymore…..you have me and even Ren…"She huffed indignantly slowly bringing her smaller hand towards his bigger one and giving it a gentle squeeze "I promise you…I'll never ever leave your side….." She smiled up at him, a loving look on her face._

And she never did. It was _him_ who left her. It was _him_ who went away. He still regretted it, but he knew in his heart that it was inevitable….he had a reason…

Shaking his head, he got up from bed, looking at the clock on the side table. It was still early. He got up, took a quick shower and grabbed an apple. His appetite had completely vanished after that dream, but he knew that he had to eat something to keep him going.

He walked into the sunshine, into the busy street with its many people buzzing around. Some were in a hurry to get to office, others were busy doing their own respective job, while kids buzzed pass him in a hurry to get to school. He was the only one without any real purpose in life. But he had a job request to complete.

* * *

The job went smoothly. It was nothing major that the famous wind contractor couldn't handle. Finishing his job quickly, he walked around the streets, no real purpose behind his actions.

Suddenly a voice called out from above all the noise "Hey Kazuma! Buddy is that you?!"

He slowly turned around, trying to compensate the direction of the noise. That's when he saw them. His long lost friends - Zing and Liang. They had been his friends when he had met Tsui Ling…maybe even from earlier. He still remembered how they used to come to Tsui Ling's restaurant and tease him about their relationship and about how he had changed.

They made their way towards him, clapping him on the back and asking him about how he was doing. He told them he was fine….though the unsettling look on his face probably gave away his lies as his friends suggested going to a restaurant to talk over old times over cups of coffee. He was not in the mood, but he knew that it would hurt their feelings if he refused. So he went along with their plan, following them as they led him to a back alley where there was a small restaurant.

The three of them entered the small comfortable restaurant which despite being small, gave off a homely feeling. After taking their seats and giving their orders, his two friends looked towards him.

"How's it going man? You don't look fine." Zing asked, looking at him with concern.

"I'm fine. It's just that things don't go smoothly for me in life." Kazuma lied looking at his friends with the best unemotional face he could put up. Being his long time friends, they probably looked past his lies again.

"No, you're not fine. Is it about Tsui Ling? Are you still missing her? Still thinking it's your fault?" Liang asked.

"No, I've gotten over her a long time ago. I've met new people, had a new life…but….." He trailed off, not wanting to mention Ayano to his friends.

His friends, thinking it was still about his ex lover, shook their heads. The waitress came, putting their order on the table in front of them blushing as she saw Kazuma's handsome face. She stammered a little before going off, her face still red.

"You can't stay like this man…..you're _not_ gonna die in loneliness…I won't allow that!" Liang, being the more energetic of the two looked at him with determination. "You're coming with us to the bar tonight! There's a party and lots of beautiful women! There's no way a man like you would go unnoticed by them! I'm going to find you a partner tonight whether you like it or not!" Liang looked at him" You can't continue living like this." He stated seriously obviously not willing to leave until Kazuma agreed.

Kazuma, knowing it would be futile to argue, nodded his head halfheartedly. He didn't want to go. He didn't feel like going. But he knew that there was no way out.

Having dropped the topic, the three of them talked about life instead of love, following up on each other and exchanging phone numbers to keep in touch. After talking for anther 30 minutes, the three of them paid their bill, walking out of the restaurant.

Zing and Liang said goodbye, stating that they had a job to complete. Before going, Liang again reminded him about the party to which he nodded his head dejectedly. They parted, going their separate ways after agreeing to meet the same night.

Kazuma turned walking away with his hands in his pocket deep in thought. _Just what had he gotten himself into?_

* * *

**_This is the first chapter. Tell me if you like it and if it is worth continuing. I personally think that it is pretty good! But our opinion matters. If you guys are having some problem understanding the story then please pm me or state your doubt in your review._**

**_This story will probably be short. Only two or three chapters...I don't want to make it much longer...I'll try my best to update soon._**

**_Please review! Thank you!~_**

**_Until next time people!_**


	2. Chapter 2

**_Hey guys! I'm back! Thank you soooo much for liking and reading this story and giving me sooo many reviews…I really appreciate it….I hope I continue to live up to you expectations. This chapter like the other one is filled with sadness and regret….but that'll only be for a few chapter….cuz as much I love angst and sadness, I'm still a fan of happy scenes…..so don't worry….I'm not a sadist…._**

**_I've decided to extend this story a little. So it'll be longer than 2 or 3 chapters like I said before. Your continued support has given me inspiration and has driven me to update so soon. Keep reviewing like this and I'll update regularly!_**

**_I would like to thank:- Koko, carcar, kaze3lover, SapphiRubyCrys, Heavy Distance, _****_GottaGetM3sumPIE_****_, Hotakugirl1996, kazenostigmalover and Scarlet Ammo 19 for reviewing to the previous chapter. Thank you so much for your support._**

**_To my guest reviewers-_**

**_Koko -I'm glad that you liked it. Updated 'soon'?_**

**_Guest - Yeah, I know that this story is better than the others that I've written. I'm quite proud of it. _**

**_Carcar - Yeah it will have a happy ending. I'm thinking of extending it and making it a little longer. Yes, I will continue this story. Thank you for reviewing!_**

**_Without further ado…._**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Kaze No Stigma. Milli is an OC. This chapter is longer than the previous one. Hope you like it!  
_**

* * *

The noise was getting to him. Liang, Zing and Kazuma had just entered the bar with it disco lights and partying adults and teens.

He looked around the sweaty room trying to find a place where he could sit quietly without being disturbed. He turned to look at his friends only to notice that both of them had suddenly disappeared into the crowd.

Good…..now he could just sit and drink quietly without socializing with people who he didn't even know.

He made his way through the people towards the bar. Taking a seat on one of the bar stools, he ordered an alcoholic drink.

He looked around. Everyone was busy partying and having fun. Even though he had been to bars before, his reason for drinking and partying had always been different. He had never done these things for fun…..he had done it to forget his grief. First he used to drink to forget about Tsui Ling…..but then after returning to Japan, _she_ had made sure that he had no such chance.

Ayano had managed to make him quit smoking, saying that it would just lessen his life span. He had never really quit drinking….only that he didn't have the need to drink anymore. As long as she was there to entertain him with her various expressions and antics, he got along just fine.

But now, it seemed as if his old habits were returning. He sighed, taking a sip of the drink that the bartender had placed in front of him. His life was returning to how it used to be….only this time, life wouldn't send another Ayano to bail him out. He was all alone.

"Um…..do u mind if I take a seat here?" He looked up to see a girl about his age, gesturing to the seat next to him. "That is if you don't have any companions."

He nodded "Sure, go right ahead. I'm all alone." That was true…..he was all alone now.

The girl sat down next to him, ordering something of her own.

"I'm alone here too. Well, not totally alone, I came here with my friends. But it seems that I lost them somewhere. They actually dragged me in here saying that I was doing too much work for my own good." She sighed.

"Ohh I'm so sorry. Here I am telling my worries to a complete stranger. It's just that I have a habit of talking." She nodded her head in apology.

He didn't really mind her rambling. It was helping him to forget his own troubles.

"That's fine. I don't really mind." He turned his head towards her, noting that she was quite beautiful with her thick black hair and piercing emerald green eyes. She didn't look the flirtatious type with her modest dark green dress that went up to her knees. If he didn't have so much on his mind, he would actually be flirting with her.

"Oh so you don't mind if I chat with you a little? I have sooo much on my mind and well…..if I tell the people I know, they'll probably show me sympathy." She sighed "By the way, my name's Millicent….but you can call me Milli. Yours?" She looked at him enquiringly.

"Kazuma." He answered

"Kazuma? So you're not American?"

"No, Japanese."

"Well I'm an American…..I've lived here since I was little. I was dragged here by my friends because according to them I work too much." She took a sip of her drink.

"Maybe they're right too. My parents died in a car crash so all the responsibility suddenly came on my shoulders. To top it all off, my little sister got into an accident and couldn't walk anymore. So I started working harder to get enough money for her treatment. I've still not collected enough money for the treatment…..with all the regular house necessities, it becomes quite difficult to save money. I don't usually party much. I only came her cuz my friend said it was her treat." She laughed "Quite the free loader aren't I?"

"Why are you telling me all this? We only just met." He stated

"I haven't talked like this to anyone in a long time. If I tell my friends, they'll immediately offer to lend me money for the treatment. I don't want that. I want to earn the money myself for my sister. I don't know. I just suddenly felt like talking. You somehow seemed similar to me." She smiled "And I won't see you after tonight so it's like this talk never happened. I already feel better after getting that off my chest"

He nodded in understanding.

"I wanted to even get my house repainted…It is quite old and in need of a paint job…..though I'm not sure if I'll be able to afford it…...my sister wanted her room pink in color. But I think that it would be too childish for her." She sighed

"Tell me, what is your favorite color?" Her question suddenly startled him.

_ His favorite color? What was it? _He closed his eyes in thought. Opening them, he looked at her.

"Red….no….more like crimson."

She looked at him quizzically. "Crimson? Why crimson? Crimson usually stands for danger right?"

He smiled. "Yes it does stand for danger…..but not for me."

"Anything that you would want to talk about? We won't meet after tonight so it's alright it you want to talk." She asked him that question probably after seeing that pained expression that crossed his face.

"I guess it'll be fine…."Another sigh escaped his lips. Now a days, all he seemed to do was sigh.

"I was banished from my family because I was incompetent. I left Japan and went to China to become better. I had no place to live. I just wandered around the streets without a home. That's when she bailed me out. Tsui Ling." He took another sip from his drink, a little awkward since he hadn't spoken about this with someone for a long time.

Milli, probably sensing his hesitation, patiently waited for him to continue.

"I fell in love with her. She was a sweet, kind and gentle girl. I worked for her and she in return gave me food and shelter. My life was going on perfectly until…..she was killed." A horrified look crossed Milli's face, but she knew better than to interrupt him in his speech.

He considered what he wanted to say next, trying to remove magic from the picture, knowing that she as a normal person, would not know about such things.

"He got away. …the killer. I went on a rampage, trying to find him and probably murder him…but I failed…..I couldn't find, nor kill him." He skipped the part about him killing the Almagest's leader, knowing that she would freak out. She seemed to think that revenge was pretty normal and he had to give her credit for not getting up and walking away in fear.

"You could say that I finally gave up….so…..I went back to Japan. I went back to my hometown and started working for my own ex family while getting paid. That's when I met her…my second chance in life….Ayano." He closed his eyes as he thought about her, pain flowing through his entire being.

Milli sat quietly listening and knowing that interrupting him would not be a good idea. So she just sat as he had done and listened to his story just as he had listened to hers.

"She was a kid in high school. She had a temper and was impulsive and got herself in a lot of trouble, but she still had a kind heart. I was working with her…..no more like working for her father. She was my cousin. But since I had cut all my ties to that family, I didn't consider her as one." He shook his head and continued.

"I watch her grow up. I knew that she had developed feelings for me but I thought that it was just infatuation and that it would eventually go away. What I didn't know was that slowly and gradually, I too had started falling for her. I didn't realize it until I saw her on a date…it made my blood boil.I managed to confess and we started dating." He smiled. "The reason that I like crimson is because that was the color of her eyes. That color may be danger for others but for me it is only warmth. It is the warmth that I felt when she looked at me with her crimson eyes. She was my lifeline. She changed me."

Milli smiled at him. "If you love her sooo much then she must definitely be very beautiful right?"

Kazuma nodded and reached into his pocket, pulling out his cell phone. Flipping to a picture, he passed the phone to Milli.

"Ohhh she's sooo pretty! Where is she now? Has she come to America with you?" Her question triggered him like a gun shot.

"No….we broke up…."His voice was low, his bangs covered his eyes as the pain stabbed his heart like a hundred daggers.

"Ohhhh…I'm sorry…." Milli apologized obviously feeling guilty for asking that question.

"Don't feel sorry…..it isn't your fault…..nor was it hers…it all happened because of _me" _Milli looked at him with sad eyes.

"Are you okay? I don't know what happened between you two….but you still love her right?" She asked this question gently, afraid to hurt his feelings.

"Of course I love her. I've always loved her. I didn't want to break up…but the circumstances called for it…." He let out a bitter chuckle. "How I wish I could just go back in time to change it all…but that can't happen…and this time, there will be no one to bail me out…..life only gives a few chances…and mine are over."

Milli looked at him sadly and shook her head "No life will give you many chances. All you have to do is grab them. I'm sure that you'll meet her again and that everything will become alright…because if you love each other them even God will not stop you….I'm sure life will give you a second chance….so don't give up!" She grinned at him.

"Oi Milli" A voice shouted above the noise "Where have you been? We thought you went home or something. Anyways, come on let's go, we'll give you a lift."

Milli nodded her head at her companion and looked apologetically at Kazuma. "I have to go now. My sister's alone at home and they're giving me a lift abck home. It was good talking to you. I hope that after our little chat you're feeling better. It certainly has done me a lot of good."

He smiled at her. "Yeah it helped me too…thank you…." He hadn't lied. Talking to Milli had really felt good even though he had omitted the part about Bernhardt. It felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off his chest.

Milli smiled. "Thank you too. I hope we meet again Kazuma." He nodded his head at her. She got up from her stool and went off home with her friend.

Kazuma turned around, trying to see if he could spot Zing and Liang anywhere. His eyes widened and he felt his body go stiff.

Zing's voice suddenly called out to him. "There you are! I finally found you. Sorry we got separated." He looked at Kazuma apologetically but noticed that something was wrong.

"What's wrong dude?" He asked his friend looking at him, worried.

Kazuma couldn't believe his eyes. He had just seen a red haired girl trying to get to the door. His mind went blank. _It couldn't be!...Ayano?_

* * *

**_That's the second chapter! I'm gonna make this story a little longer than I mentioned before. Thank you for reading!_**

**_Please review! Thank you!~_**

**_Until next time!_**


	3. Chapter 3

**_I would like to thank all my readers for their tremendous support. Your encouraging reviews have driven me to write this chapter. I mean 23 reviews for two chapters! WOW! I didn't expect my story to be that popular!_**

**_This chapter too is filled with sadness, angst, pain etc. I love angst. So the first few chapters will be filled with it. But they'll be happy in the end. I hope you enjoy!_**

**_Disclaimer : I do not own Kaze No Stigma. Only this fanfic._**

* * *

His eyes widened in shock as his mind and heart slowly registered that the red haired woman who had just left the bar might be his ex lover. He stood up suddenly, much to Zing's surprise and started making his way through the throng of people that occupied the club.

He could hear his friend's shouts but he chose to ignore them while pushing through the crowd muttering 'sorry' and 'excuse me' every two seconds.

_What would he say when he saw her? Apologize? Ask her to return to him? _None of those thoughts seemed to weaken his resolve. Now, all he wanted was to get one glimpse of her. Just one glance. All he wanted now was to see her face one last time. To see her smile.

Finally making his way to the door, he went out of the stuffy club and into the cool night air.

_Where did she go? _He looked around frantically, trying to see if he saw red hair anywhere. But much to his dismay, the woman just seemed to have disappeared.

He tried thinking rationally._ It's very late at night. A young woman like her wouldn't possibly take the risk to walk back alone. She must have taken some sort of transport._ He remembered a cab stop just a few minutes away._ Maybe she took a cab._

He started running towards the cab stand, not wanting to fly due to the close proximity of the people.

He finally reached, his eyes scanning the road for her. _There she is! _He started toward the girl and her friend, but suddenly stopped in his tracks. The girl had turned around, laughing loudly at a joke that her friend had just cracked. His heart gave a sudden lurch of disappointment.

This wasn't Ayano! This girl is too figureless to be her! _His_ Ayano would never laugh in that boisterous manner. Sure, she could be loud, but not_ that _loud.

He turned around with his hands in his pockets and started walking towards God knows where. _His_ Ayano. Somehow, it just seemed right to say that. But did he have the right to address her like that anymore? Probably not. He had lost that right a long time ago.

Even if that girl somehow miraculously had turned out to be Ayano, what would he have said? Would she even have talked to him after what he did? Probably not. She must already hate him.

Yes, Hate. Somehow that work stung his heart more than any physical wound possibly could.

He closed his eyes, trying to block away the memory that haunted him in his dreams even today. The memory that he wanted to bury in the deepest corner of his heart.

_He stood there in the park waiting for her arrival, still contemplating whether what he was about to do was still a good idea. He questioned himself again and again, but the answer still remained the same. He__** had**__ to do this. There was no other choice. No matter how hard it would hurt her or how lonely and scarred he would become, he knew that it was inevitable. _

_He balled his hands into fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white and blood oozed out. 'You can do this Kazuma!' He kept repeating that on and on in his mind, trying to find even a little comfort in those words._

_He saw her running up the steps, her breath coming at uneven intervals. She stopped in front of him putting her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath._

_"Sorry for being late. You just called so suddenly!" Finally regaining her breath, she looked at him excitedly. Without waiting for his response she continued "I wanted to meet you anyway! Yukari got these tickets for this band that's supposed to be sooo good! Everyone's talking about it. They play country music. You'll come with me right?"_

_She looked at him, suddenly noticing that he was not responding._

_"Kazuma?" She looked at him, crimson eyes filled with worry. "Is something wrong? Did something happen?"_

_This was it. He had to say it. Now or Never!_

_"Let's break up." His bangs covered his eyes and he spoke with much more confidence than he actually felt._

_She blinked once. Twice. "W-What did you just say?" She looked at him disbelievingly as if he had grown a tail._

_"I said we should break up." He repeated more calmly._

_"Eh? Break up? Why!" She looked at him in shock. "Is it because of the fight that happened yesterday? You know the both of us keep arguing, but that's just how we are! You couldn't possibly want to break up because of that, would you?"_

_He couldn't tell her the real reason. If he did then she would butt in. He didn't want that to happen….. __**ever. **__So he did the thing that seemed most convenient. He lied. A lie that made him want to murder himself. But this was the only way to push her away. The only way to make her hate him._

_"I'm sick of you! You're so unreasonable! Fighting over stupid reasons. I'm tired okay?! I'm tired of you and your stupid talk! Why don't you just leave me alone?!" He felt horrible. No pathetic. He felt like killing himself. _

_She looked at him, shock and pain evident in her eyes. But there was something else too that he couldn't put his finger on._

_"What do you mean? Who do you think I am huh? If you don't tell me the real reason why you're doing this then I'm not gonna leave you alive! Do you hear me?!" She screamed in his face, her anger flaring. The same anger and determination flashed in her eyes…..the qualities of her that he had come to love._

_"Truth's too painful to hear?!" He masked arrogance. But inside the pain was unbearable. He needed to get out of here. Fast. If he continued, he was sure that even he would not be able to keep up this act anymore._

_"What's wrong with you Kaz? Why are you acting like this?" There was desperation apparent in her voice._

_"Don't call me by that nickname anymore, Ayano. We're done. I should never have gotten into this relationship in the first place. Tsui Ling was a much better person and much easier to talk to…..unlike you." His heart officially broke as her hands slow fell to her sides._

_"Fine! Don't tell me! If you don't trust me then fine…don't tell me your real reason. I won't even ask. You want to break up! Fine." Her bangs covered her eyes as she spoke, the hurt showing in her actions._

_This was what he had wanted. For her to say that. _

_So he turned around, slowly walking away from her. 'This is for the best.' He kept telling himself that._

_But he knew what he had done was wrong. He had promised to protect her. Promised never to hurt her or make her cry. But he did just that. And worse. Even though he didn't turn around again, he still heard as she slowly fell to her knees, the tears steaming down her face silently. _

_He wanted to turn back. Comfort her. Hold her in his arms and tell her that it was going to be alright. But he knew that if he turned, he would break his resolve. A resolve that had pained him to death._

_She had changed him. Made him feel like living again. She had made a love hating man like him fall in love again. He loved her. And he always would. For the first time after Tsui Ling's death, he felt tears at the corner of his eyes. He quickly blinked them away. He __**never **__cried. He would live on with her memories. This was for the best._

_Just as he was about to leave, the wing spirits whispered her thoughts to him. 'I trust you Kaz…..I trust you.'_

_She trusted him even after what he said. But he was sure that she'd hate him in the future. She'd hate him with all her heart. _

_He would become like before. He would push everyone away. Just like before…._

He had tried. Tried to push people away. But he had failed. She had already affected him too much.

At that time, it had seemed easy. It had seemed so easy to live on with her memories. But somehow, for him that was never enough. He'd always wanted to see her. But he knew that she'd probably hate him now.

He closed his eyes, letting the night breeze soothe his nerves. He remembered that he had just left Zing and Liang in the club and left suddenly. Maybe he should call them? Nah. They know that he'd be able to take care of himself, besides he wasn't even in the mood to answer their questions. So he quietly made his way home, trying to remember Milli's words from a few minutes ago. What was it that she had said? Yeah.

_"Life will give you many chances. All you have to do is grab them. I'm sure that you'll meet her again and that everything will become alright…because if you love each other them even God will not stop you….I'm sure life will give you a second chance….so don't give up!"_

That's what he'd do then. He'd believe. Believe that he'd see her again. Someday.

* * *

**_Sorry guys….I'm sure you all thought that the redhead was Ayano. Well, only guest reviewer Carcar thought differently. _**

**_Ayano will be introduced in the later chapters, so don't worry! I'm not gonna leave her out. Anyways, thank you for reading._**

**_Please review! Thank you!~_**

**_Until next time!_**


	4. Chapter 4

**_Hello people:-) ...I've returned with a new chapter of Joy,Pain and Regret. Thank you for all the reviews,favs and follows.I hope that I continue to live up to your expectations._**

**_My computer suddenly stopped working so I've written this chapter on my pls kindly forgive minor gramatical errors. And also pls keep the wonderful reviews is because of them that I have taken the massive trouble of typing this chapter on my troublesome tab!_**

**_And without further ado..._**

**_Disclaimer :I do not own Kaze No this fanfic._**

Kazuma got up groggily,rubbing his eyes to remove the sleep and to clear his unclear vision. This was the first time in so many months that he had finally managed to get proper sleep without having any nightmares. Maybe the alcohol from last night had helped.

He quickly took a shower and decided to have cereal for breakfast. After having a little cereal, he decided to go out. As he was heading towards the door, his phone rung. Removing it out of his pocket, he discovered the caller to be Zing. Sighing,he picked up the call, already ready to answer for his inappropriate behaviour from the previous night.

"Kazuma,buddy where are you?! You left so suddenly last night! Is everything alright?" Zing's concerned voice came over the line.

"No of course he isn't fine! Didn't you see how he was behaving? Something is seriously wrong with him." Liang's frustrated voice could be heard next to Zing.

Knowing that it was futile to continue lying to them he finally decided to give in. "No I'm not fine. I've got problems!" He was getting irritated. He wanted to be left alone, wanted to think alone,but he knew that his friends were merely concerned about his well being.

"Why don't we come over? It'll be better for you to have some company instead of being all alone. Maybe, we can't help you,but we can at least give it a try. Besides,three heads are better than one."Kazuma sighed. He was not in the mood to have arguments,at least not with his friends,so he gave in to their wishes and told them his address.

"We'll be right there. Don't go off anywhere okay?" Zing hung up.

Great! Now he was officially stuck at home! He decided to read something and started rummaging in his cupboard to find the book that he wanted. Suddenly a few books fell downwards,landing on the floor with a loud thud.

They were picture books. But now, most of the pictures had fallen downwards creating a huge mess on the floor of his appartment.

Bending downwards, he reached towards the nearest photo with the intention of collecting all the photos hand freezed mid air. It was _those _ pictures that he wanted to throw away but ultimately did not have the heart to.

The pictures of that picnic that the three of them had gone on together.

He sighed as another memory came back to him. But this memory was a happy one.

_The road ahead of them was uneven and filled with stones. Their car gave a sudden lurch,pushing them forward due to the impact._

_She looked at him,an annoyed expression on her pretty face. "Hey Kaz! Drive properly would you?! I want to reach home alive and in one piece."_

_"Hey, I'm trying my best okay?! It's not my fault that this road is so bumpy."_

_"Then why don't you slow down?!" She huffed as the car gave a sudden lurch yet again._

_He sighed,looking in the morror to look at Ren who was sitting in the back seat. "Oi, Ren! Where exactly is this __**beautiful **__picnic spot that you wanted to take us to?"_

_"Ohhhh we'll be there a few more minutes." He answered confidently. "Take the next turn."_

_It was Ren's 16th asked what he wanted for a present,what had the little monkey asked? A picnic. _

_Apparently he had been there in elementary school and wanted to see this __**beautiful **__picnic spot again with his brother and sister._

_And where was this picnic spot? Absolutely in the middle of nowhere._

_They were currently in the middle of a jungle in which the apparrently __**marvellous **__picnic spot was located._

_After taking few turns on the bumpy forest trail and with Ren's directions and map reading, they finally reached the spot . After stopping the car, they got out of the stuffy car and into the bright sunshine. Ayano got out of the car and stretched her aching limbs while simultaneously giving a tired yawn._

_They had gotten up early in the morning and set out. But the bumpy thin forest roads had made it impossible for either of them to get any sleep._

_"This place is pretty good." She sat down on the soft grass and looked around her. They were surrounded with trees on all the sides while a lake was in the middle of the forest clearing. There were also mountains nearby with their tall peeks and massive rocks. _

_He sat down next to her. "Yeah it's actually quite beautiful."_

_"It's beautiful here but wait until you see the view from the peek of the mountain. It's totally awesome!"Ren exclaimed,coming up behind them._

_Ayano looked at him,a shocked expression on her face. "Mountain? Which mountain? Isn't this the place that you wanted to show us?"_

_"No, this isn't the only place that I wanted to show you guys. We had also gone mountain climbing on a mountain. It had such a great view!" He pointed towards a huge mountain on the right._

_Ayano groaned,holding her head in her hands. "So you want us to even climb a mountain? And such a big one at that! I know that it's your birthday Ren, but do we really need to climb?" She gave him a pleading look._

_"I thought that I could get anything that I wanted? Please please let's climb. You won't regret this I swear." He gave her puppy dog eyes._

_As usual,not being able to resist that face her cousin brother showed her, Ayano finally sighed in defeat._

_"Okay,but give me a few minutes okay? We'll start a few minutes later." Ren agreed and went off somewhere to play in the lake water._

_She looked at her boyfriend dejectedly. "Why didn't you back me up?" She practically glared at him._

_"Well it's the kid's birthday and besides, didn't we promise to give him whatever he wanted? He's not even asking for anything expensive, just a little picnic and mountain climbing. I'm sure we could at least do that much for him right?" He looked towards her knowing that even though she complained,at the end of the day she still loved her little cousin dearly._

_She nodded, giving a exhausted yawn and slowly leaning against him and putting her head on his shoulder. He looked at her surprised as she rarely showed her love in such ways. A small smile graced his features. She had fallen asleep. _

_He looked at her peaceful sleeping face while brushing away the bangs from her face gently so as not to disturb her. He slipped his arm around her, letting her get comfortable so that she could get better sleep._

_After about half an hour,she woke up, rubbing her eyes looking around the unfamiliar surroundings. Suddenly Ren came running back asking if it was okay to begin their mountain climb._

_The climb was pleasant with casual talk and light laughter. _

_Ayano was looking around at the different birds, not bothering to look at her surroundings. Suddenly her leg slipped and she started falling backwards. Her arms flew to the sides to grip any kind of support to prevent her tumbling down the steep mountain side._

_Suddenly a warm hand held hers and she found herself held halfway in mid air. If he left her hand,she would have started falling again._

_"Watch where you're going would you?"He shouted at her angrily. He never lost his cool. She was shocked to see such an expression on his face._

_"It wasn't me! The rock started to give way under my feet."She lied._

_"Stop lying or I'll really let go of your hand and let you fall!"_

_For the first time in their relationship, she smirked at him. "You wouldn't. No more like you __**couldn't**__!"_

_He raised his eyebrows at her. "Of course I can! All I've got to do is let go of your hand."_

_Still having the smirk on her face,she looked at him confidently. "No you couldn't. Even if you had let go, I'm sure you would have used your wind to catch me again."_

_He gave her an amused look. "What makes you think that way?"_

_"You love me too much! You wouldn't have been able to let me fall purposely even if you wanted to! You can't live without me!" She answered confidently and haughtily._

_He looked at her inquisitingly. "How can you be so sure?"_

_"I just know." She said, her nose in the air._

_Before he could reply , Ren came running back to see what had happened to them and so the conversation was left unfinished._

_The rest of the climb was uneventful. They finally reached the top of the mountain and gazed in awe at the wonderful, marvellous view. The green forest lay below them like an unending carpet of different shades of green. The forest extended till the horison,slowly appearing to merge with the blue sky. A cool breeze swayed the branches of the trees giving the three a peaceful feeling._

_Ren insisted on taking a photo of the two of them with the view as an excellent background. She had blushed profusely as he had wrapped his arm around her,pulling her closer to him. This was the first photo that the two of them had taken as a couple without any other people in the picture._

_This photo was taken on both their cell phones by Ren who kept insisting that it would make a wonderful wallpaper._

_The day had ended pleasantly with all of them returning home with happy memories._

He broke out of his day dream and quickly started collecting the scattered photographs. Standing up,he kept the books on the table,wanting to sort them out later.

He still remembered her words...

"_You love me too much! You wouldn't have been able to let me fall purposely even if you wanted to! You can't live without me!" _

He hadn't been able to reply back them but it was true. What she had said was all true. He couldn't live without her.

The doorbell rung and he made his way towards the door, already knowing who would be on the other side. He had wasted so much time daydreaming that he hadn't realized that how the time had passed. As soon as he opened the door, his friend's worried faces came into view.

After explaining his sudden diparture from the club as 'seeing someone similar',the conversation turned towards his 'problems'.

Liang excused himself to use the his return,he stood near the table and stared at the photo album and at the one photo that was sticking out. Slowly removing it, his eyes widened in astonishment.

He walked towards Kazuma who had his back to him and asked him the one question thay any curious friend or human being would ask another.

"Who's this girl?"

Kazuma looked at the photo that Liang held out to was the photo of him and Ayano.

It was time to tell the whole story yet again. So he repeated what he had told to Milli at the bar the previous night. He watched as his friend's jaws fell open in surprise.

"If you loved her then why did you break up?" Zing asked cautiously, once the explanation was over.

"I'd rather not talk about that." Kazuma spoke in a dangerously low voice.

Zing sighed,not wanting to say more in case he hurt his friend's feelings and knowing that the more they discussed the toppic,the more difficult it would become for him.

"But I never even imagined that you would fall for anyone other than Tsui Ling."Liang finally spoke after being quiet for most of the conversation.

A smile spread accross Kazuma's face. "Yeah, she was something else."

" Man!Why are you the only one who gets girls! Look at us man,we're handsome too! Why don't the ladies see us huh?" Liang joked.

"That's just how life is." Kazuma smiled at his friend's attempt to lighten up the mood.

After a little more talking and advice, the two of them got up to leave.

After they left,Kazuma sighed again. Somehow talking to them had lightened up his gloomy mood. He decided that he would do just like they said. He would calm down and think about what he wanted to do. Yes, he'd think hard...and hopefully he would come up with an answer.

**_There! Chapter 4 finished! I spent 3 - 4 hrs writing this chapter. Did you like it? I may not update for a few days due to my comp problem but I'll try my best. I hope there aren't any grammar mistakes in this chappy. Thanks for reading._**

**_Please review! Thank you!~_**

**_Until next time!_**


	5. Chapter 5

_**Hello people !...I'm back!...thanks for all the wonderful reviews...I appreciate it:-)...I seriously don't know when I'll update next due to my major comp problem and my school which is starting in a few days...I hope you guys will be patient with me...also,thank u for all the wonderful favs and follows...I sincerely hope that you guys enjoy this chapter that took me so much time and trouble to write...also, since this chapter is written on my tab so I hope that you forgive the minor gramatical errors:-) **_

_**Without further ado...**_

_**Disclaimer : I do not own Kaze no Stigma. Only my oc's.**_

The sun's rays entered through the tiny crack between the curtains in Kazuma's bedroom. The light made him slowly wake up from his dreamless sleep. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes,he had a quick shower and a simple breakfast. Putting on his usual jacket, he headed out of his appartment and into the busy street.

There were people everywhere. Kids were holding their parents hand. Shops were having discounts so all the people were busy shopping. Fathers were carrying their children on their broad shoulders while mothers were carrying them on their hips. There were giggling teenagers in groups who were having fun with their friends. Couples were everywhere,holding hands and having fun on their dates. Everyone had a companion with them and were having fun on Sunday.

He was the only one who was alone.

Shopkeepers were calling out discounts on their goods and suddenly a throng of people started dashing towards a particular shop.

He turned around to see what the commotion was all about. Seeing that it was nothing more than a shopping crowd, he sighed. Sundays here sure were hectic.

Hearing his cell phone buzzing in his pocket, he pulled it out noticing that the caller was Liang. He must have called to tell him the details of the job that they had mentioned yesterday.

He picked up the call, his eyes still scanning the crowd ahead of him. Suddenly his eyes stopped. His heart skipped a beat. Liang's voice could no longer be heard as he looked accross the busy street to finally see the one person that came in his dreams.

She was there. Right there.

He blinked once. Twice. Just to make sure that he wasn't imagining her. But this time there was no doubt. He could see her face instead of just red hair like he had done a few nights ago.

She was just as beautiful as he remembered. Her long thick hair was pulled into a half pony while the other half openly fell down her back. Her crimson eyes were still just as warm as before. She wore blue faded jeans and a green shirt that nicely fitted her curves. Even from this distance,she still looked gorgeous.

He just stood there rooted to the ground. He felt frozen like the statue. The phone was still on his ear, Liang's voice calling out to him asking if he was still on the line.

He didn't know what to do. Should he go up to her? Apologize? Or should he just walk away from her pretending that he never saw her? Would she forgive him? Or had she moved on?

These thoughts occupied his mind as his eyes followed her every movement, watching as she kept looking at her watch as if impatiently waiting for someone's arrival. She kept tapping her feet looking irritated as she glanced around. She always tapped her feet whenever she was impatient. Some things about her would never change.

He closed his phone while absent mindedly telling Liang that he would call him later. He was confused. He had no idea what to do. So he just stood there watching the crimson haired beauty accross the road.

Minutes went by and then he finally saw her frantically waving to someone through the crowd. He turned around to see her companion's face.

Suddenly all the confusion and uncertainty turned to one emotion...rage. His fists clenched and his knuckles turned white. His eyes saw red.

He watched as a good looking brown haired handsome boy made his way through the crowd towards her. The guy looked around her age and had a cheerful face as he greeted Ayano, bowing in front of her, probably apologizing for his late arrival. He had light blue eyes that looked as deep as the ocean and wore jeans and a simple t-shirt.

But Kazuma didn't see all his good looks or his cheerful face. All he saw currently was murder. Yes, he was _that _angry. All he wanted to do was to cut the guy's body into a million tiny pieces using his wind and to feed those pieces to the stray dogs.

But he stood silently watching as the guy bent down and picked up a few of Ayano's shopping bags which she had placed on the pavement, probably because they were too heavy. The guy laughed, talking to Ayano while she smiled and giggled at the joke that her companion had cracked.

She laughed. The laugh that she showed to no one accept him. She was laughing and having fun with someone else other than him. She had moved on. She was on a date with someone else.

That thought slowly made his hands fall down to his sides as depression and hopelessness overcame his rage. His bangs covered his eyes as he put his hands in his pockets and walked in the opposite direction from where he planned to go initially.

He was hurt. Sad. Lonely. Angry. Confused.

She had moved on. She had the _right _to move on. She deserved someone better than him. Someone her age who could make her laugh and keep her happy. That guy with her today fit the bill perfectly. The thought of her with someone else made his heart contract in pain.

Why would she wait for someone who broke up with her so cruelly and broke her heart and caused her so much pain? Why would she still love him after what he did to her? She must hate him now. That's what he'd wanted her to feel when he broke up with her. Then why did it still hurt him so much?

This must be his karma. God was punishing him for all the bad deeds that he did when he went on a rampage after Tsui Ling's death. Yes, this was his inevitable punishment. He deserved it. All this pain, hurt and guilt...he definitely deserved it. What greater pain would there be other than to see the girl that you love more than yourself on a date with another guy? Yes, the pain that he felt currently was the worst pain that not even a million physical injuries or even death could compare to.

This was his destiny...to live his life in loneliness, grief, pain and regret. Yes, he himself had brought this upon himself.

He wandered around with these negative thoughts in his head. He had lost the will to live. He had given up hope. Now all of Milli's encouraging words and even Zing's and Liang's positive advices were all forgotten. He wanted to die just so he could get rid of all the pain.

But he had run all this time and knew that hiding in death was only done by cowards. So he decided to live. Not because he _wanted_ to but because he _had _to. Yes, he would live. Live with all the pain and accept his punishment.

He loved her and he always would, no matter what happened. He never regretted meeting her or falling in love with her. He was glad that he was a part of her life even if he would probably always be a distant forgotten memory.

* * *

Ayano stood there in the middle of the busy shopping street, looking at her watch again and again while scanning the crowd searching for her companion.

'_Where is he?! He's dreadfully late! He was supossed to be here an hour ago!' _She thought, sighing as she looked at her watch for the millionth time in the past hour. She tapped her foot in irritation.

Suddenly she saw him running towards her and she started waving frantically so that he could locate her in the crowd. He stopped in front of her, putting his hands on his knees to catch his breath.

"Sorry for being late. My sister had me go on an unexcepted errand." He bowed in front of her in apology and she nodded, knowing his sister's weird unexcepted work errands.

He bent down to pick up her shopping bags while telling her the joke that his friend had told him the previous day. She laughed with him as she heard the hilarious joke and giggled when he told her his friend's reaction.

He continued talking as he turned around and started walking towards their destination. She turned around one last time to see the different shops in which she had been shopping for the whole morning.

As she scanned the people and shops one last time, a tuft of chocolate brown hair on the opposite side of the road caught her attention. She thought she was dreaming so she closed her eyes and when she opened them again, the chocolate brown tuft of hair was no longer there.

She sighed and dismissed it off as her overactive imagination.

'_There's no way he could be here Ayano. Get a grip of yourself!' _Assuring herself that, she turned around and followed her companion through the busy street.

_**There! Chapter 5 completed on 30th May 2013! Ayano finally made her entry! I tried my best to show a jealous Kazuma. **_

_**This chapter is a little smaller. I'm sorry but I'm not well and have got fever. I've written this chapter while sitting in bed trying to rest and recover. So please bear with me. It took me a whole day to write and plot this chapter.**_

_**Also, I'm not sure when I'll update next as school is starting and I'm sick:-) But I hope you liked this chapter that I wrote on my tab while being sick . I was motivated to write after reading your wonderful reviews. Thank you so much for reading and supporting my story.**_

_**Please review! Thank you!~**_

_**Until next time!**_


	6. Chapter 6

**_Hey There! I'm finally back. Sorry for the extremely long wait. I got a new comp just a week ago but it didn't have any features for me to type a new chapter_****_L_****_.So I just had the features installed today and therefore I'm typing this chapter as soon as possible for my wonderful readers. I didn't have writer's block. I just didn't have the time nor a proper instrument to type the new chapter._**

**_Answer to the most recent guest reviewer (didn't give a name):_**

**_Guest: Well, I know that you're taking out some of your precious time to read my story. I'm also aware that you're continuously supporting me and for all that, I'm extremely grateful. But typing out a new chapter takes a lot of time and will power and energy which you don't require when you're reading. My studies always come first in my curriculum as writing is just a hobby that I like to do. So you'll have to forgive me if I can't update as soon as you want me to. I have school and classes which make it difficult for me to spend too much time on the comp. Also, pls never compare reading and typing chapters as the same thing. They're completely different. Your review encouraged me. I was happy to have readers who looked forward to my updates so much. But I'm afraid that I can't put my real life on hold to type out new chapters. So, if you like my story and want to read it then I'm afraid you'll have to wait till I update. I really love to read reviews of readers who're not afraid or shy to type out their thoughts, so thank you for doing that. I also want to thank you for your honest review so pls continue supporting me _****_J _****_Also, pls leave a name or become a member of this site. It'll make it easier for me to communicate with you._**

**_I want to thank you guys once again for all your support. Therefore, I'd like to dedicate this chapter to two very special friends and readers who've supported me throughout this story. So, this chapter is dedicated to my guest reviewer _****_Carcar_****_ and my co-author/friend/sister _****_Scarlet Ammo 19_****_._**

**_So with all that said, let's get on with the story. I originally wanted to make this story Kazuma's pov but I've changed my mind now. I think that it'll be more enjoyable and interesting to the readers if I typed out both their thoughts and feelings. So this chapter contains some of Ayano's thoughts and views._**

**_So without further ado…_**

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Kaze no Stigma. _**

She looked out of the taxi window, watching the scenery pass by. But she wasn't really paying attention to the nicely dressed men and women, nor to the different shops and posters. She was seeing her life. Her broken, scattered and jumbled life. It flashed through her mind like a kaleidoscope of memories.

Her life had been perfect. She was the only daughter and heir to the most powerful fire clan in the world. She was rich, independent and probably beautiful. But then, what had scattered and broken down her perfect and beautiful life? Her own stupid decisions. It was all her fault that her life had turned out to be the way it was now. If she hadn't fallen in love with _him_ , if she hadn't let him waltz in and sweep her off her feet…..then maybe her life would have been better and different then it was now.

She had ruined it…..but not by herself…..he was equally at fault. She couldn't be the same happy, carefree, cake eating girl she was before she met him even if she tried….because that happiness would only be temporary …cuz he'd always be there at the back of her stupid mind.

Her chain of thought was broken as the taxi gave a sudden lurch as it stopped in front of her hotel. The guy next to her shook her shoulders to bring her back to planet Earth.

"We've arrived." He stated.

She nodded her head faintly as she got out of the taxi and out into the bright sunshine. Her companion gave her a grin.

"How're you gonna carry all that stuff alone? Need some help?" He gestured towards the boot of the car where all her shopping bags had been kept.

Ayano shook her head and smiled at the considerate guy. " No I'll just ask one of the hotel staff to help me out."

As if in answer to her remark, a bellboy appeared next to her. She told him her room number and he carried most of the bags and went back inside the posh hotel.

"So see you later?" He asked her from inside the taxi as he popped his head out the window.

"Uh-huh. See you later. Goodbye, Joe." Joe grinned as he pulled his head back in and gestured to the taxi driver to start the car.

Ayano watched as the car went out of sight and then slowly picked up her remaining bags and made her way into the hotel and upstairs to her hotel suite.

The bellboy was waiting outside with her bags. She took her items from him and gave him a tip before closing her hotel room door.

She was alone again. Alone with her own thoughts. She went and deposited her shopping bags on her bed before opening her balcony window and stepping outside in the sunshine.

The view was marvelous.

She looked at the cars and people on the street, trying to engross herself. She was afraid to think about her life. But she eventually ended up thinking about it anyway.

She thought about _him._

Why had he left her?

What had gone wrong?

They were together. Happy. They went on dates like ordinary couples, went on missions together and had petty fights…..everything was normal. Then why?

A few months after they started dating, he started to open up to her. He started confiding in her. Finally, telling her openly about his past.

She was sure he had forgotten about his ex. Then why?

They had gotten into a silly fight over a mission the day before he left. But that was normal. Her arguing and him teasing. Then suddenly, when things were perfect, he called her to the park and said he wanted to break up.

He said all those things about her being loud and irritating. A normal person who had been passing by then would think that all what he said was true. But she knew him better. She knew that he wasn't telling her his_ real _reason. And it pained her.

It hurt her badly that he didn't confide in her. He lied to her. That was what pained her the most. What was it that he didn't want to share with her? What were his reasons? Why did he lie?

But despite all that, she trusted him. She kept believing that one day he would return.

After he had left from the park that day, she had felt broken. Somehow she had managed to get home in her shock and daze. That night, she had sat in bed thinking. Finally she had decided that she would talk to him tomorrow. She decided that she would sort things out with him the next day and get him to tell the truth.

But that tomorrow never came.

When she went to his apartment the next day, she found his house empty. He had gone. He just vanished into thin air.

He left no forwarding address and he also changed his phone number.

There was no way for her to contact him. He had gone just as mysteriously as he had appeared.

But she believed.

A year went by. He didn't call or contact her.

Another 6 months went by and he still didn't appear.

She lost faith. Her small hope started disappearing. The fact that she would never see him again got engraved in her mind painfully.

3 years had gone by since she had last seen him.

In the past one and a half years, she had tried to move on. She had tried to completely forget about him. But that was impossible. He haunted her at night, in the morning and even during the day. Her happiness was always temporary. The minute she was alone, she felt herself thinking about him.

Where was he? Was he alive? Had he forgotten about her? Did he still love her?...or had he ever loved her to begin with?

She wanted to hate him. She wanted to slaughter him. To make him pay for what he had done to her nice, peaceful life.

But she couldn't do it. No matter how hard she tried, she could never get herself to fully hate him. She just loved him too much for that.

She never realized how the small sixteen year old crush of hers had blossomed into love. It had just happened. And she regretted it.

She regretted having met him. She regretted loving him.

But there was nothing she could do. Fate had already played it's cards. It was too late to turn back now. She would have to live with the misery and pain forever. She was stuck for life.

When she saw that tuft of chocolate brown hair that morning, her mind had wanted it to be him. But that was probably her imagination. She was naïve to think that it would be him.

A humorless laugh emitted from her lips.

She sighed deeply as she slowly made her way back inside the room. Standing out in the sun all morning had made her sweaty. She needed a bath…_now!_

Making her way to the bedroom, she took out some clothes and went into the bathroom for a nice hot bath which might help her get rid of her thoughts.

_Little did she know that fate was playing it's cards once again._

* * *

He was walking around aimlessly for hours now, trying to clear out his jumbled thoughts. His life was filled with despair.

He stopped a little, finally noticing that it was night time. The street was the same one in which he had seen Ayano the same morning.

The street was crowded with people and different shops had colorful light on. But he wasn't interested in the lights nor was he interested in the ladies that stopped to stare at him. He was aimless.

Scanning the street one last time, he turned to make his way back home. As he turned around, a red head in a small alleyway nearby caught his eye. He couldn't see the girl's face, all he could see was long red hair who appeared to be standing protectively in front of another girl with dark hair. So he made his way pass that alley casually, trying to see what was going on in the alley.

He froze. His mind stopped working and suddenly became blank.

It was _her!_

The other girl behind her had an arm from which blood was oozing out from a big gash. In front of the two ladies were two men, each holding hockey sticks and having sneering lust filled looks on their faces.

She could take care of them easily if they were ordinary humans. But they were not. They were youmas disguised as humans.

He was sure that she knew that. She was powerful and extremely strong so defeating them there would not have been a problem. But there was something else.

There were barrels of kerosene stored in that alley.

If Ayano tried to use her fire magic and if it hit the kerosene barrels, then there would be a massive fire which not affect her but would certainly kill and destroy the shops nearby as well as the human girl that she was currently trying to protect.

She was in _deep _trouble.

What should he do? Save her?

His mind and heart were in dilemma as he watched the girl he loved more than himself struggle in a life and death situation.

There was no time to lose.

**_That's all for now! I've tried my best to show Ayano's thought. Pls don't ask me why there are kerosene barrels in an alley located in the shopping district. I don't know myself. It just suddenly came to me.I wanted to put Ayano in a tough situation._**

**_It's not extremely long but that's all I could type in my free time. I'm trying my best to update so pls bear with me._**

**_Please review! Thank you!~_**

**_Until next time!_**


	7. Chapter 7

**_So I'm back again with a new chapter! I'm extremely happy with the excellent reviews and feedback that I'm receiving for this story. The reviews just kept piling in! I mean 17 reviews for one chapter! WOW! I didn't except so many!_**

**_There are many guests who review to my story and for that I'm extremely grateful, but you guys don't leave a name so that makes it difficult for me to reply to your reviews. So pls, I kindly request you guys to type in a name so that I can reply back to you._**

**_To the guest who asked my name, state, country, grade etc…..:-_**

**_Well, I'm in the 8_****_th_********_grade and I'm about 13 yrs old. I'm an Indian. I don't feel comfortable revealing my name, if that's ok with you. Anyways, thanks for the continuous support. Keep reviewing and supporting me like this and I'll update very very soon!_**

**_Carcar: Are you a guy or a girl? Just curious! Thanks for the advice. I'm glad that you like my story so much!_**

**_This chapter is dedicated to_****_ sweetserenity13_****_ , _****_kazenostigmalover_****_ and _****_Koko_****_ my guest reviewer for their continued support (:_**

**_Disclaimer: I do NOT own kns._**

He was in a dilemma. She was in massive trouble and so was the girl that she was so desperately trying to protect. He didn't know what to do. Time was running out. If he didn't make a decision soon then she would end up causing havoc.

But he didn't want to face her. Not after what he had seen that morning. Just thinking about that boy and Ayano together made his blood boil.

But he knew that he had to do **something.**

But discretely and without her noticing.

That was one tough job!

He concentrated on the scene unfolding before him, while cloaking his presence completely and becoming invisible while floating in the sky.

The girl behind Ayano was bleeding heavily and her breath was coming out unevenly. He watched as she started swaying and took the support of the ground to keep awake. He knew that she would lose consciousness soon.

Ayano was fighting with the two youmas who were still in their human form. She was buying time.

He watched as she dodged their attacks one after another. The two youmas were just playing with her with their hockey sticks.

He was sure that the youmas thought that Ayano was just an ordinary girl trying to protect someone.

So he watched as they tried to have fun exhausting her so that she would eventually give up just like an ordinary human. They continued striking at her with their hockey sticks and watched as she started staggering on her feet. The youmas grinned.' _This was going to be just another easy catch.' _Sick smiles adorned their faces.

But he knew that she was faking it. She was trying to make them believe that she was weak and he was sure that Ayano would try to catch them by surprise by suddenly summoning her powers. He sincerely hoped that it would work. Otherwise, he would have no choice but to step in.

Suddenly he heard a thud. The dark haired girl behind Ayano had given in to her wounds and had fainted. With a start he realized that he had completely forgotten about her while watching Ayano. But it seemed that Ayano hadn't.

He watched as Ayano gave a triumphant grin.

Suddenly he realized what she was planning. She had tried to hit two birds with one stone.

She had tried to gain time so that the girl would go unnoticed by the youmas. Then she had kept them occupied for a long time until the girl had fainted. She didn't want the innocent girl to see her magic powers.

He stood suspended in the air as the crimson haired beauty suddenly stopped her acting. The youmas faces were filled with surprise and astonishment. '_Shouldn't she be down by now? _, the two of them thought.

Suddenly in one swift flick of her wrist, Enraiha was summoned. The youmas didn't even have time to blink as the loyal ancient sword struck at them.

One of the youmas, who received a direct hit, was instantly killed. The other one was injured but he still had fight left in him.

Kazuma watched as the second youma slowly transformed into its original form. The youma had two heads and a huge body. It was not strong, nor was he too weak.

The problem was the annoying kerosene barrels that had been improperly stored in the alley of a shopping district.

He mentally cursed. _'Really, which kind of stupid idiot would store such dangerous things in an alley that was near a shopping street?!' _But he didn't have time to dwell on it. The scene in front of him was much more important to watch.

She was fighting him cautiously, obviously afraid that one wrong move of hers could blow up most of the shops around them and kill hundreds of people.

She was making immense effort to avoid the barrels as she fought the youma, who sensing her discomfort, was using it to his utmost advantage by purposely luring her near the barrels.

His muscles were tense. His mind was on alert, ready to strike out any moment to save her.

She was fighting tirelessly, but the youma was dodging her blows swiftly. The youma seemed to have a lot of speed.

She managed to dislodge his arm, and the youma gave out a cry of immense pain. But the noise went unheard, overpowered by the voices of the various people in the shopping street.

The youma was mad. An enormous amount of magic power emitted from him suddenly. It seemed that he was betting everything on one single blow.

Ayano resumed her fighting stance.

The youma struck out and Ayano swung Enraiha at him. Their magic collided and soon, everything became silent.

He saw that Enraiha's flaming blade had struck the youma right in the chest. There was absolutely no way that the youma would live.

Ayano tried to dislodge Enraiha from the youma's chest by giving it a hard pull. She stumbled. Her eyes widened in horror as she went stumbling forward right towards a kerosene barrel with Enraiha in her hand. She was falling.

Suddenly she tripped which stopped her fall and sent her face down in the ground. Her face came in contact with the dirty ground.

She unsummoned Enraiha as she got up to see the object that had miraculously saved her life. It was the youma that she had killed.

It was the youmas leg that she had tripped over. She gave a sigh of relief.

"I thought I was dead!" She whispered to herself as her legs gave way under her and she collapsed on the ground, realizing the intensity of the situation that she had just been in.

A cool breeze blew and soothed her nerves. Her hair blew softly around her as she took in big gulps of air. The breeze seemed familiar. It was just like _his._

She quickly shook her head, trying to push him out of her mind.

_'__You'll never see that jerk again….He betrayed you!'_ She slowly got back on her feet as she looked over to the unconscious girl who had been the cause of all the fighting. The youmas had disappeared into thin air after about five minutes.

Ayano sighed as she took out her cell phone and dialed for an ambulance. '_This was going to be a long night.'_

* * *

He had reacted fast.

As soon as he had seen her stumble, he had quickly used his wind to move the youmas leg. He let out a sigh of immense relief as she had missed the barrels.

It was just like her to put down her guard once a fight was over.

He watched as she collapsed on the ground and he sent a soft breeze that caressed her skin and went through her hair. She muttered something.

He froze.

He had heard her.

Her words sounded in his ears and pierced his heart for the millionth time.

'_He betrayed you!'_

She was right. He had betrayed her.

His bangs covered his eyes as he used his wind to teleport.

He needed rest.

* * *

Ayano stumbled wearily through her hotel room door and collapsed on her bed, giving a tired groan. She had taken the girl to the hospital. Her wounds were not that severe and the girl's parents had been called in by the hospital.

The parents had been very grateful and had thanked Ayano a million times for saving their girl from 'thugs'. They had even gone to the extent of offering her money, but she had politely refused.

She wearily got up and went into the bathroom, slowly undressing and getting into the shower. The water helped her nerves and she scrubbed herself until all the sweat and dirt had disappeared.

She changed into her night clothes and slowly got into bed.

But she couldn't sleep.

Her mind was occupied with thoughts about _him _that she just couldn't get out of her head. The tuft of hair in the crowd that morning and that gentle breeze. She was sure that they were both his.

But she didn't dare hope. Life had been cruel to her and she couldn't afford to have unnecessary hope, only to have it destroyed and shattered in the end. After convincing herself that it was just a coincidence and her imagination, she slowly drifted off to sleep.

**_Okay! The 7_****_th_********_chapter is complete! I tried my best to show a fighting scene. I hope that you guys enjoyed reading! I'll try my best to update but I'm making no promises._**

**_Please review! Thank you!~_**

**_Until next time!_**


	8. Chapter 8

**_Hey! I'm back! I know I've not updated for like 3 weeks? Sorry for the late updates. I'm busy with school so it's really hard to take time and type a chapter._**

**_I really want to thank all my reviewers for their awesome reviews. I also want to thank you guys for all the favs and follows. It means a lot. Also, I've been getting requests to tell my name. I'm not comfortable with revealing my real one, so I came up with a new name. So, all those who wanna know my name, from now on you guys can call me Yuriko. _**

**_Furthermore, I know some of you don't like flashbacks. The reason I type flashbacks is because I can't bear it if my story has only pain and sadness. I want to write about happy and romantic moments as well, so I express these moments through flashbacks. This chapter too has a flashback (don't kill me).But there will be fewer flashbacks as we progress further in the story._**

**_Without further ado~~_**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own kns._**

The alarm clock rung noisily on her bedside. It was 8 am. She reached out from under the covers and pressed the stop button, causing the clock to cease its continuous ringing. She sat up groggily and yawned, rubbing her eyes to remove the sleep. Flinging her legs over the covers, she sat on the bed edge for a few minutes before getting up and walking slowing to the bathroom.

After brushing her teeth, she decided to go to the kitchen to eat some of the hotel's complimentary food for breakfast. Her plan was interrupted. The phone by her bedside table rang and she walked over, sitting on the bed and picking up the receiver.

"Hello?"

"Good morning ma'am" The receptionist's voice greeted her. "There's a call from Japan for you."

"Who is it?"

"The person says that he's your father."

"Put him through."

"Certainly." The waiting music sounded in her ears as the call was transferred.

"Good morning Ayano." Her father's voice greeted her "Are you all right?"

As usual, he seemed overly concerned for her safety and well being. "I'm fine."

"That's good." He sounded relieved. "Are you sure?"

That was the same question that he had asked her for about a million times, hoping that she would reconsider and think about her decision again. But her answer always remained the same.

"I'm sure." Her voice exhibited more confidence then she actually felt.

"It's a decision that will change your life. Forever." His voice was low and almost pleading.

"I know. But I've made up my mind." Her voice was determined this time.

Her father sighed.

"You're old enough to know what is right and wrong, to take decisions for yourself. The least I can do is to guide you so that you don't sway from what is right. I just want you to be happy."

"I know that you always want the best for me." Her voice reflected her love for her father. "Believe me, I've thought about this a lot and I'm not taking this decision at the spur of the moment. I've **really really **thought about this." _But this is the only way._

He gave in. "I'm glad that you're okay and I assume that you're having fun. So I won't bother you anymore. We'll talk later."

"Goodbye father." The line went dead.

* * *

The room was dark. The curtains drawn. The house silent.

He was sitting on the bed, his hand over his eyes, her words from the previous night still haunting him.

_He betrayed you!…..._

_He betrayed…..._

_Betrayed…..._

That word stung his heart. It kept replaying in his head again and again.

Maybe he had made a mistake. Maybe being in a relationship with her was wrong. Maybe if they had just remained partners like before then all this wouldn't have happened…..she wouldn't be hurt….

He thought back to the day when he lost his cool demeanor, when his mask broke…..when he made his biggest mistake.

_He was flying over the city of Tokyo, the cool breeze ruffling his already messy hair. He had just finished patrolling the city for supernatural occurrences._

_That's when he saw her. On a date._

_The familiar red head was walking alongside a guy her age, laughing and smiling happily. The guy looked handsome and charming too._

_For some reason, he felt an unusual feeling in his gut. But he ignored it. _

_His curiosity got the better of him. He followed her._

_Flying overhead, he hid his presence completely as he observed the couple. They seemed to be heading towards the park._

_The two of them went towards an ice cream seller standing in a corner and bought some ice cream. Going towards a bench, the two of them sat down. _

_He watched as Ayano licked her ice cream happily, even from above, she looked like a 5 year old child. A smile graced Kazuma's lips, but the feeling in his gut didn't go away…. it got stronger. She never ate ice cream with anyone except her best friends, Ren and …him. His fists clenched unconsciously as he watched the scene with growing anger, ready to butt in if the guy made a move on her._

_His prediction came true._

_After a few minutes, the guy put his hand over Ayano's. She jumped and blushed at the sudden contact, but kept on licking her ice cream pretending that she didn't notice._

_That hit a nerve. She __**never **__let __**anyone**__ hold her hand, and if they did then she would make sure that he'd end up in a hospital. His temper flared, but he controlled himself._

_The guy seemed displeased with her lack of reaction and he removed his hand from over her's and slowly put it around her shoulders and pulled her towards him. Her face showed anger and her fists clenched._

_That was the final string._

_He flew down, landing right in front of the couple, not bothering if anyone else saw him._

_The guy turned pale and started trembling, jumping up on his feet. Ayano looked equally surprised as she got up and looked at him, her mouth open. _

_"Kazuma! What are you doing here?!" _

_"Shouldn't I ask you that question?"His voice was composed, but his eyes furious._

_"I'm on a date! You can't just come barging in whenever you want!"_

_" I ju-" He was interrupted by the guy next to her ._

_"I-I t-think you're k-kinda busy. I'll s-see you l-later." He stammered as he hurriedly ran away from them, wanting to get as far away as possible from the 'scary flying guy'._

_"How am I going to explain to Ryuu that I know a guy who supposedly flies in the air?" He said nothing._

_"He was making moves on you."He ignored her previous question but mentally noted the guy's name. _

_"SO WHAT IF HE WAS? THAT DOESN'T GIVE YOU THE RIGHT TO SCARE HIM TO DEATH AND RUIN MY DATE!" She was shrieking and glaring at him in an accusing manner._

_"So you were okay with that?" His voice was steady._

_" THAT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!"_

_"It is my business."_

_"REALLY?! OKAY THEN, ANSWER THIS…..WHO ARE YOU TO ME? MY FRIEND? MY BODYGUARD? MY PARTNER? MY FATHER? MY BOYFRIEND?" She huffed as he remained silent._

_"LET ME ANSWER FOR YOU. YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A BUSINESS PARTNER AND BODYGUARD RIGHT? Then what I do after our missions is none of your concern." She said the last sentence slowly and calmly. Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed her purse and exited the park, leaving a confused and conflicted Kazuma behind. _

_ xoxoxo_

_That night, he sat on top of a building, staring at city with its colorful florescent lights and its many people. But his mood was far from colorful. He was finding an answer to her question._

_What were they? Friends? Partners? Was he just a bodyguard? Or was there something more…..?_

_He couldn't find an answer. He needed to distract himself and decided to visit Kirika and ask for a job that would occupy his mind for a few hours. But he knew he was just running away. He was scared to know the answer to her question. __**He**__ was __**scared. **_

_In a few minutes he had reached police headquarters and as he made his way through the building, he saw Kirika sitting on a table, a mug of tea or coffee in her hand._

_"Hey." He greeted her as he took a seat opposite her on the table._

_"Oh hello Kazuma! What brings you here so late at night?" She looked surprised and her eyebrows quirked upwards in curiosity._

_"I wanna go on a job. Preferably one which will last the whole night." He tried to keep his voice neutral, but it still appeared strained._

_"What's wrong Kazuma?" She asked, looking at him with sharp violet eyes._

_"Nothing." His reply was curt._

_"You're not fooling me." _

_He sighed, deciding to tell her everything, knowing that she could be persistent if she wanted to be._

_"I see…" She said after hearing everything. "She was on a date."_

_"Yeah…"His voice trailed off._

_Kirika sighed, looking at him and asking him the one question that he dreaded._

_"Do you feel anything for her?"_

_"I care for her." He replied sincerely, his eyes looking downwards._

_Kirika sighed again. "I know how you feel Kazuma, but you've got to realize something. She's growing up. She's 18. She can't wait all her life for someone who's too scared and confused to come in terms with his own feelings." He remained silent._

_"She has got a __**right**__ to move on and date anyone she wants," She continued. "She's young, fresh, and beautiful and there are a lot of guys out there who might want to date her."_

_"I know."His voice was low._

_"Then do something instead of sitting around. Don't leave her hanging. Tell her if you're not interested in her." She looked at him._

_"The Kannagi's are holding a party tomorrow night." She seemed to have changed the topic…but he was wrong._

_"There will be lots of young men from different magic user families….…men who might be perfect for her." She remained silent before continuing. "She's going to be the head of the family soon, so it would be normal if her father got her engaged early." _

_"Jugo wouldn't do that."_

_"He wouldn't." She agreed. "But he loves his daughter and wants her to be happy. He can't wait forever. He might decide to set her up with someone…other than you."_

_He remained silent._

_"What happens next is all up to you."_

_He got up and without a word started walking towards the exit, a pair of violet eyes following him. _

_He needed to think. Now!_

**To be continued…..**

* * *

**_This flashback will be continued in the next chapter. I'm trying my best to portray a confused and jealous Kazuma. Kirika always seemed like a person who knew both Kazuma's and Ayano's feelings towards each other and she was also the one who made Ayano realize that she loved Kazuma in the anime, so it just seemed right for her to give Kazuma advice. I'm also going to make the next chapter romantic. I wanna show how that dense idiot finally got to realize his feelings for her. So stay tuned if you wanna find out how that happens next!_**

**_I'm trying my best to update soon but you've got to forgive me if I'm late. This chapter took me 3 hrs to type out and it's really hard for me to take time out from studies. I'll try my best to update ASAP._**

**_Please review! Thank you!~_**

**_Until next time!_**


	9. Chapter 9

_**I'm back! Sorry for the long wait. I typed this chapter out a long time ago but I wasn't happy with it so I made corrections which took me a LOT of time cuz of exams. I have tried really hard to make this chapter romantic. I've never written any kind of romance before so I hope you guys like it. This chapter is a little longer to make up for my long absence. Also, thank you for the wonderful reviews and the numerous favs and follows. They motivate me to continue writing!**_

_**Disclaimer : I never have and never will own Kaze No Stigma.**_

* * *

_**This is the continuation of the flashback of the previous chapter. **_

_The music was a soft melody, soothing to the mind and soul. But he wasn't listening to the music or looking at the people who were dancing on the dance floor. He was looking for someone. A crimson haired heiress in particular. _

_He was at the Kannagi family party that Kirika had mentioned the previous night. He had expected the party to be Japanese style but it seemed that Jugo had other plans. The party was anything but traditional. It was western style. The ladies were wearing beautiful gowns and dresses while the men wore handsome suits. There was music playing and couples were slow dancing on the dance floor. _

_A few attractive women had already asked him to dance, but he was not interested and politely declined their offer. He saw Ren in a corner talking to some kids his age and was making his way towards him, when he saw her. _

_Ayano was standing next to a young woman, talking to a fellow in front of her. The guy looked like a foreigner, with blonde hair and clear blue eyes. He bowed in front of her, extending his hand, probably asking her for a dance. She politely accepted._

_As they went on the dance floor, it was apparent that Ayano was one of the most attractive women on the floor. In her body hugging black dress that stopped just above her knees, paired with black stilettos and her light makeup which brought out her crimson eyes, Ayano looked beyond gorgeous. Her hair was let down in soft curls, cascading down her back like a red carpet. _

_The feeling was back again. As the unknown foreigner put his hand around Ayano's back, pulling her closer for the dance, his uneasiness returned. He wanted that fellow to keep his hands off her! But he knew that was unreasonable and that dancing needed that proximity between the couple. Walking to the refreshments table, he took some punch and sat at a table, his eyes scanning the party._

_The song got over. He got up to see if he could spot her again, but she was nowhere to be found. He used his magic to scan the room. She wasn't in the room, but he noticed her presence outside. Making his way through the crowd purposefully, he finally made his way out of the hall and into the cool night air._

_Walking on the soft grass, he reached the lake with the bridge over it. He saw her standing on the bridge, staring absently at the twinkling stars above, as if in a trance._

_He made his way towards her, his footsteps unheard, as he reached the bridge and silently stood beside her._

_"Hey." He whispered in her ear and he felt her jump as her trance-like state was shattered and her crimson pools turned towards him, looking at him in surprise. She nodded and replied "Hey."_

_They stood there, in the silent night, the sound of their breathing hearable. The silence was awkward, both of them not knowing what to say to each other._

_"I always look at the sky when I'm tired or lonely." She gazed above." When I was little and my mom had died, I believed that she had become a star and I spent endless hours out here…just like this. I used to sleep late and as a result I was always late for school which earned me a lot of scolding. It was like I had put my life on hold, making it a mess, just to wait and see if my mom would appear suddenly from somewhere to bail me out. But that never happened. She was gone and it was too much for a 7 year old kid like me to handle."_

_He remained silent._

_"This continued for about a month." Her voice was filled with emotion. "Then one night, father came up to me and said 'You don't need to look at the stars to feel your mother's presence. All you have to do is remember that she's always watching over you and that she's your guardian angel that will always protect you from above.' "She sighed, smiling."I still remember his words."_

_He didn't say a word._

_"What I mean to say is that….." She sighed. "You don't need to put your life on hold because of someone's death. All you have to do is remember them and as long as you do that, their presence will always remain with you. You'll never be alone."_

_He knew what she was referring to and he knew that she was right. Tsui Ling. She was referring to her, even though she said it indirectly. He had almost anticipated what came next._

_"You have to move on because time waits for no one." She said that mostly to herself, gazing at the stars above. _

_A stony silence enveloped them._

_"I'm sorry…." He said, finally breaking the silence._

_She looked up in surprise as if she hadn't expected him to say that. "What did you say?" Her voice was low._

_"I'm sorry" He repeated, this time saying it clearly and loudly._

_"Oh." She said, obviously not knowing how to react._

_"You were right," He continued "I had no right to barge in."_

_She kept quiet._

_"You have every right to go on a date and it was _**_very _**_wrong of me to do what I did. So from now on, you can go ahead and do whatever you want. I won't interrupt."_

_Her shoulders slumped as if she had expected something more._

_Suddenly a voice called out her name from somewhere near them. The foreign guy from before had appeared before them, asking Ayano to return to the party to dance with him. _

_"I need to go." She whispered almost brokenly. She turned towards the guy, moving forward to take his outstretched hand._

_To him, it seemed that if he let her walk away now, he'd lose her forever. So for the first time in many years, Kazuma decided to listen to his heart._

_"Wait!" He called out to her. "Ayano, we need to talk." The urgency in his voice made her stop mid step as she and her partner turned around to face him again._

_"I'm sure it's something that can be discussed later."The guy told him coolly, sparks flying between the two men._

_"Um….I'll see you in a few minutes?" She turned towards the foreigner._

_"Sure." He said still glaring at the wind magic user. He turned and went back into the hall. Ayano waited until he had entered before turning around to face him._

_"Why did yo-"She was cut off mid sentence as his lips came crashing down on hers, effectively silencing her next words. Her hand dropped to her side, she didn't respond, noticeably shocked._

_But after a few minutes, her hands slowly rested on his shoulders, making their way into his soft brown hair. He pulled her closer. The kiss lasted for a few seconds, but to him, it felt like eternity and he was sure that she felt the same way._

_Slowly pulling away, he whispered the three magic words in her ear._

_"I love you…" His voice was low but clear and sincere._

_He felt her trembling in his arms._

_"Are you sure?" She asked slowly._

_"Positive."He felt her smile._

_"Why?"_

_"I don't know…..it'll take up the whole night if I start." He smiled._

_"Why so suddenly?" Her question was one of genuine curiosity._

_"It wasn't sudden. I just didn't realize…until now….when I saw you walking away, I finally realized that it's about time that I move on…cuz time waits for no one." He said, repeating her words from before. "Besides, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I let you go."_

_They stood like that for a minute or so, in each other's arms._

_"Me too…I love you too."Her voice was worm and filled with…love. He pulled away from her, to take a look at her face which had now turned a bright red._

_"I know." He teased._

_"Idiot…"_

_He pulled her closer, his lips settling on her warm ones. This one was different from before. It was sensual and filled with emotion. They pulled apart, gasping for air. Resting his forehead on hers, he looked into her crimson pools, smiling as his intense gaze caused yet another blush to appear on her cheeks._

_"It's not too late. Care for a dance?" He said gesturing towards the hall._

_She took his hand, accepting his invitation._

That was just the beginning of a wonderful relationship that lasted for over two years. He still remembered that blonde foreigner's face when Ayano had walked right past him, not even sparing a glance, making her way to the dance floor with her partner turned boyfriend.

He remembered Ren's big smile, Jugo's sly one and Kirika's 'I told you so' face staring at him. That night still seemed like yesterday, even though it had occurred almost three years ago.

But it was no longer a happy memory.

That memory made a feeling of guilt appear in his stomach. The feeling that he wanted to go away, but knew that it never would. If only that night hadn't occurred, if only they had remained the same…then she wouldn't be hurt.

It was all_ his _fault.

Standing up, he grabbed his jacket, deciding to take the job that was recently offered to him. Walking into the morning sunshine, he walked a few minutes before reaching a three story bungalow.

A butler greeted him, opening the door to his summons.

"Mr. Kazuma Yagami?" He asked in a curt voice.

Kazuma nodded. "Yes."

"This way." He said walking out of the house and towards the vast garden that surrounded the bungalow. "The master has been expecting you. He's currently talking to his friend's son who has come to visit him."

"I see….." Kazuma wasn't paying much attention to his surroundings, already having visited this house for numerous jobs.

As they reached the gazebo, the butler's master was sitting there with none other than….._her._

His breath caught in his throat as he recognized that unmistakable red hair.

He stopped mid step. She hadn't seen him…not yet. Her back was towards him.

The butler gave him a glance, gesturing him to move forward. But he didn't see it.

_What should I do?! _

He thought of an escape but could not find one. The host, Mr. Makimura noticed him and stood up.

"Ah! There you are Kazuma!"

She stood up and turned around. Their eyes met.

His heart officially stopped and he felt like he would get a heart attack. He saw that she was in shock too as her expression froze and she stood there like a statue.

Mr. Makimura continued, apparently not noticing his mood. "I'm sorry for calling you so suddenly but the job was a big one that only you could handle."

He didn't respond. He just stood there, watching her.

Mr. Makimura, finally noticing his mood, followed his gaze. "Oh" He exclaimed "You haven't met my friend's son Katsu, have you?"

That was when Kazuma noticed the handsome man standing next to Ayano. The fellow had messy, thick chocolate brown hair with clear blue eyes and a muscular body. He kinda looked like Kazuma himself, standing with his hands in his pockets.

The guy Katsu looked at him "You're Kazuma right?! You're Ren's brother! I've seen you in a few photos."

Kazuma nodded, wondering how this man knew Ren and more importantly, Ayano.

As if reading his mind, Katsu answered the unasked question whose answer shocked and killed his remaining desire to live.

"Oh! You must be wondering how I know you! I'm Katsu Yamamoto…" Kazuma recognized him as the son of one of the leading companies in the world and listened as he continued.

"I suppose you already know Ayano. Well,I'm her fiancé." He said that with a cheerful face, not knowing what his simple sentence did to poor Kazuma.

He looked at the red haired woman as if confirming it. But her lowered eyes and stony silence were more than enough to answer him.

Katsu's words played in his mind.

_Fiancé?!_

* * *

_**Sooooo Ayano has a fiancé! There a twist in the story now! I've done my best writing this romantic scene and showing Kazuma's emotions was not easy. I sincerely hope you liked it. Stay tuned to find out what happens next! I'm not sure when I'll update next due to final exams. I'll try my best to update. Pls bear with me.**_

_**Please review! Thank you!~**_

_**Until next time!**_


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